


Onyx

by CarburetorCastiel



Series: Spectrum Love [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cute Kids, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Fic, M/M, Mental Health Issues, One Shot, Parents, Post CACW, Post-Canon, Puppy the Puppy, Ruckus the Dog, Slice of Life, Therapy Dog, bucky just wants another dog in the house steve, but he is okay, day in the life, good dads, gooey steve rogers, let him gave a pupper in the house, partial amnesia bucky, post cryo, ptsd bucky, slight grump steve rogers, your babies will be fine rogers, youre the one who wanted a third kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 07:58:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10566996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarburetorCastiel/pseuds/CarburetorCastiel
Summary: Steve wants another baby. Bucky wants another dog. Steve doesn't think it's a good idea for them to get another animal right now but Bucky may or may not just override that and adopts a puppy anyway. Sarah is thrilled, naturally.





	

**Author's Note:**

> As always, this is dedicated to Tori. But also, this time, for hauclair (Harley) who requested I write another one in this little universe. Harley wanted Bucky bringing a pupper into the house.
> 
> (Notice: The pictures are smaller to help the flow on mobile reading. Please click the links below to see the aesthetic board better.)
> 
> [Aesthetic Link](https://78.media.tumblr.com/cb1de16131c217956acbf699fb3f38fb/tumblr_inline_pdkj3oJ0st1rjbhtz_540.jpg)
> 
> [Color Code](https://78.media.tumblr.com/9ae19c3fcf54f91db418c6b2c52481a2/tumblr_inline_pdkj2zHVfF1rjbhtz_540.jpg)

\---

“Steve, please,” Bucky whined and followed him around the house carrying Charlie. “It’ll be so much fun. The kids will love it.”

 

Steve sighed and turned to look at Bucky. “No, Buck, we can’t get another dog.”

 

Bucky had been wanting to bring home another dog for some time now. Ruckus was his service dog and therefore wasn’t necessarily a dog that Sarah could play with. Ruckus did play and he went on walks and licked Sarah’s face and said hello to other dogs. But he was always working. No matter what he was doing, he was within eyesight of Bucky and was always listening for him to call his name and watching out for any reason why Bucky might need him. There had been several times when Sarah had just wanted to play with Ruckus but he would trot right away from her to go sit with Bucky in bed if Bucky decided he needed a little break. Another dog, one that didn’t have a job to do and could play with Sarah, would be a great addition to their household.

 

“Why can’t we, Steve?” Bucky pushed and adjusted Charlie in his arms. His son was quietly watching his fathers talk and occasionally sticking his hand on Bucky’s mouth and chin.

 

Steve sighed and picked up a stack of Sarah’s picture books to put back in her room. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea. We have Ruckus.” He gestured down at the German Shepard who was standing protectively next to Bucky and looking up at him like he was waiting for Bucky to get upset and need help. “And we have two little kids. I don’t think we can add another dog.”

 

Bucky scoffed, “You’re the one who, just last week, said you wanted a third baby. That’s a lot more work than another dog and Charlie isn’t even a year old yet so another baby wouldn’t be ideal right now. But a second dog would be fine - it’d be great. Think how much Sarah would love that. Having a dog that she can actually play with and who will pay more attention to her than me.”

 

Rubbing his face with his hands, Steve mumbled, “No, Baby. No more animals for now. Maybe when the kids are older and can take care of it themselves.”

 

“Why are you okay with getting a third child to take care of immediately but not a second animal?” Bucky asked curiously.

 

“Because-“ Steve started sharply and then backed off a little bit. “Because the kids are both our responsibilities. We share all the tasks of taking care of them. But Ruckus is all yours. That’s part of his job - to give you something to have for yourself to be in charge of alone. If we got another dog, it would just be more for you to do. I’m not saying I wouldn’t help, but when I’m not around you would have two dogs and two kids to take care of and to take to the park and on walks. Babies you can pile into a stroller, but dogs walk themselves.”

 

Bucky bit his lip and looked down, “What you mean is I can’t handle it.”

 

“No, Love, that’s not what I said.” Steve backtracked and quickly reached out to touch Bucky’s arm gently. He didn’t want him to take it the wrong way. That was partially the problem that Steve saw with the whole thing but he would never want to tell Bucky that.

 

“That’s what you meant,” Bucky corrected and ran a hand through his hair. He looked down at Charlie who was blinking slowly and curling his fist against Bucky’s collarbone. “I get it.”

 

Steve pet the top of Charlie’s head lightly and the boy looked over at him. “Let’s just see what your therapist thinks first, okay? Especially since I’ll be going on that trip soon and I’ll be gone for about two weeks. You’ll be alone with the three of them as it is.”

 

“Okay, we will talk to my therapist first,” Bucky conceded and shrugged his shoulders.

 

“That’s all I ask,” Steve replied and kissed Bucky’s forehead. “Now I need to go get Sarah from her play date and pick up some groceries. I’ll be back.”

 

***

 

A few weeks later saw Steve back from his trip and headed home to his family again. He was retired from being an Avenger but he still worked closely with the lot of them – both active and inactive Avengers. He, Bruce, and Wanda all had to fly across the country to meet up with some of the newer Avengers and some of their old friends to settle some more diplomatic disputes. It wasn’t necessarily as glorious of a pursuit as being Captain America every single day but he still did what he could to keep peace and justice alive. An inactive Avenger was still an Avenger and he would always, always be Captain America.

 

After everything was settled and he was able to go back home, he breathed a sigh of relief that he got to return back to his family. He missed Bucky and his kids and just wanted to snuggle them all on the couch and watch one of Sarah’s favorite movies and eat popcorn together. What he got instead was an unsolicited surprise when he got back to the house.

 

Steve came in, dumped his bags in the hall, and looked around for his family. They weren’t at the door to greet him like they usually were. He looked around a bit and eventually heard them laughing in Sarah’s room. There was scampering and shrill squeals of joy from his son and Steve’s heart almost broke with how much he missed that noise. He opened the door and found Bucky seated on the ground holding Charlie in his lap with Sarah standing behind him and Ruckus laying on Sarah’s bed. In front of them all was a tiny three-legged black Labrador puppy sniffing Charlie tentatively and shaking ever so slightly.

 

“What-?” Steve asked and looked from the puppy to Bucky.

 

Bucky jumped a little, not realizing Steve was back, “Hey!” He said and then looked to the new dog. “Um… this is Puppy.”

 

Steve nodded, “I _see_ that it’s a puppy. What is it doing here?” He asked and crossed his arms. The puppy immediately tromped over to Steve and started jumping up on his legs to get his attention. Despite his better judgment and the need to have an explanation as to why Bucky had gone ahead and brought another dog into the house, Steve squatted down and scratched at the puppy’s head.

 

Sarah came over and flung her arms around Steve, “Papa, I missed you so much! You like our new dog? Daddy and I got her a few days ago.”

 

She looked elated and Steve didn’t have the heart to discuss this in front of her. “Buck?” Steve asked and raised his eyebrows. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

Bucky bit his lip and stood up with Charlie. He followed Steve into the hall and towards the kitchen with Ruckus right next to him. He held onto Charlie like he would somehow be a barrier between the two of them so Steve wouldn’t be able to get as mad at him. Steve didn’t talk for a long moment and Bucky figured that meant he needed to start. “She really loves that little dog, Baby.”

 

“Don’t ‘Baby’ me,” Steve said crossly. “What did I tell you about another dog?”

 

“You said to talk to my therapist first,” Bucky said. “I did. She thought it was a perfectly fine idea.”

 

Steve pursed his lips, “So you went ahead and got a puppy without telling me?”

 

“You wouldn’t have let me,” Bucky said matter-of-factly and Steve couldn’t deny that he was right. “Sarah loves her. She named her and she has been playing with her and having so much fun. And Ruckus doesn’t mind her at all.”

 

Steve reached out and took Charlie from Bucky since he hadn’t yet said hello to his son since being back. “I mean, I’m not going to make you get rid of her. I couldn’t do that to Sarah, but I get to be a little annoyed that you did this without us discussing it.”

 

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Bucky nodded, “Okay, that’s fair. And, hey, if you want to bring home a third kid without telling me, then go for it.” He tried joking but got only an indignant head tilt from Steve in response.

 

Eventually, after a long quiet moment, Steve asked, “What did she name her?”

 

“Puppy,” Bucky said with a smile.

 

“Puppy?” Steve confirmed with a laugh, “She named the puppy… Puppy?”

 

Bucky took Steve’s free hand and squeezed it. “She said it was practical. I’d never heard her use the word ‘practical’ before. I don’t even know how she knows what it means. She’s four.”

 

“Okay, what about when the puppy grows up? What will we call her then?” Steve asked and tried to keep Charlie from sticking his little hand into his Papa’s mouth.

 

“Puppy. She will always be ‘Puppy’ because that’s what Sarah named her,” Bucky grinned. He was very proud of his little girl and thought it was just beyond adorable.

 

Steve walked back to Sarah’s room and glanced at the three-legged puppy again. Then he looked over at Bucky and his metal arm and chuckled. "She should have named her after you.”

 

“That’s why she wanted this one,” Bucky took Charlie back so Steve could sit on the floor with his daughter and the new dog. “She wanted Uncle Tony to make a metal arm for her too just like he did for Daddy. Isn’t that right, Sarah?”

 

Sarah held the puppy up to Steve and said, “Uncle Tony can help Puppy like he helped Daddy.”

 

Bucky watched Steve play with Puppy and Sarah for a while. He could tell that Steve’s brief annoyance at him had all melted away the longer he saw how much his little girl loved her new animal.

 

It may not have been a good choice to get Puppy without talking to Steve first, but Bucky didn’t regret it. Steve had done much stupider things without consulting Bucky first. Practically their entire lives from childhood to the thick of World War II was Steve doing stupid things without discussing it with Bucky beforehand. And Bucky’s whole life was chasing after Steve and making sure he didn’t get himself killed. In comparison, getting a dog for their kid wasn’t really too big of a deal.

 

Sarah really did love that little three-legged Puppy.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> So two of the elements of this story come from real things in my life. For one, when I was little I went with my sister to get this little black kitten from a farm. When I got there, there were two kittens left and one was my black one and one was a butterscotch one. So I decided to take them both even though I only had permission for one. When I got back home with it, I showed my parents the butterscotch kitten. My dad said, "I thought you were getting a black kitten." And I responded with, "Oh! You mean the other kitten!"
> 
> Also, one of my coworkers has an eleven-year-old dog who was called Puppy for so long while she was a puppy because they couldn't think of a name for her. It stuck and she has been Puppy ever since.


End file.
